Kapil Dev says MS Dhoni's eventual retirement will be cricket's loss

Legendary Indian cricketer Kapil Dev has stated that MS Dhoni’s retirement will leave a big void in the cricketing fraternity, no matter when it comes.

Dev believes that due to what Dhoni has contributed to Indian cricket and because of how instrumental he’s been in shaping the present era of cricket in the country, his eventual retirement will be a sad day for cricket in general.

"I think he has served the country so well and nobody has done it like him. Everyone has to retire sooner or later. He is not playing matches currently. So I don't know when he will come out one day and say -- I have had enough. I think it will be our loss because he is such a fabulous cricketer," Dev told reporters.

Dhoni hasn’t played for India since that fateful 2019 World Cup semi-final defeat at the hands of New Zealand, and there’s been an air of ambiguity around his future ever since. Recently, he was dropped from the BCCI’s central list of contracts for players and this further fuelled speculation about his future with the national team.

When Dev was asked about the same, he said that it is sad that Dhoni wasn’t included in BCCI’s contract list, and alluded to the time when Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar had to endure a similar fate.

"I feel sorry that they have not included him. Tendulkar, Gavaskar had to witness the same. It's not my job and I am not there to give the contract to anyone. It is the job of the cricket board. So, I don't know. You can ask this question to the cricket board. They will be able to answer this question," Dev said.

Dhoni’s indefinite sabbatical is set to come to an end when he gloves up and leads the Chennai Super Kings out in the upcoming IPL campaign. Indian cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri recently revealed that we will get a fair idea about the 38-year-old’s future endeavours once the IPL is done and dusted.